The concept of working "backwards" will really help me build successful lesson plans. Last semester I really struggled with trying to figure out answers to questions like: what do I want the students to learn? And where should I find the guideline of materials to use? I actually planned on buying some old textbooks to help guide me in the right direction. Luckily, I'm a procrastinator and never did this and now I'm glad I didn't.
I think the "backwards" method really inspires the notion of not opening a textbook and letting it guide your lessons. Oppositely, I think there is a great creative sense to "backward" which explores one's own beliefs and goals and how they can interact with one's teaching goals.
The curricular priorities in figure 1.2 will probably be part of a print out I use for myself over the next decade.
I genuinely think prioritizing is a sign of good planning as well as a reinforcement of teaching objectives.
I also really appreciate their projections in how this play out in assessment in figure 1.5. It is accurate that "enduring understanding" is likely not to be found in traditional forms of assessment.
One thing I have noticed and am unsure about with the method is that, to get the enduring understanding" one is striving for, more depth has to be placed on each topic. Keeping this in mind brings up a quintessential question: is it better to focus deeper on less topics or do more superficial work on a larger variety of topics?
Anyone have any thoughts on this? I am not sure I know a good answer to this question and I'd like some feedback.
Anyway, in honor of Jon Stewart (he announced his retirement this week), I leave you with a link to my favorite podcast series and my, "moment of zen."
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/545/if-you-dont-have-anything-nice-to-say-say-it-in-all-caps
After reading this chapter I would say its better to focus deeper on less topics than trying to cover a larger variety of topics. On pg. 17 the author reflects on how this method allowed the designer to assess what content worked best for achieving the goals of the unit. The four filters guides the designer towards covering topics and using resources that will best achieve the goals of the unit. Rather than throwing it all against the wall and see what sticks. Backwards design is perfect for making lessons more efficient. I think its good to have a variety of topics/tools to work with because it provides options to pick from after each assessment period.
ReplyDeleteI understand your concern. As someone who is passionate about history it would be a dream to cover as much as possible and still be effective but the truth is that your students would end up forgetting the material the moment you stopped covering it. So if we start with the goals of the standards, the targets we have to hit and find out what works it will be more effective in the long run.